Plastic containers



June 7, 1960 s. H, A. YOUNG PLASTIC CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNOV. 15, 1956 B INVENTOR.

M my a 0 WM A TTORNEYS June 7, 1960 s. H. A. YOUNG 2,939,603

PLASTIC CONTAINERS Filed NOV. 15, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 r-16 0 17 z? J11 3 16 l M l 10 f I 7 5 15 \W }E IN V EN TOR.

Jere/111s HA. )hzm 7 Z A TTORNEYS June 7, 1960 s. H. A. YOUNG msncconmmzas 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 15, 1956 INVENTOR.

Jere/211.9154 A1011 ATTORNEYS 5. H. A. YOUNG PLASTIC CONTAINERS June 7,1960 5 sheets sheet 4 Filed Nov. 15, 1956 w W T. T A

June 7, 1960 s. H. A. YOUNG 2,939,603

PLASTIC CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 15, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.SermwH/I. Yawy, BY

A TTORNEYS ,zs ss PLASTIC GONTAINERS Serenus H. A. Young,Drexel Hill,Pa, assignorof small I interests to various assignees 1 Filed Nov. 15,1956, so. No. 522,310

'4 Claims; of. 220-4).

application relating to improvements in molding shaped articles fromfluid fibrous suspensions,'filed October 1,

1956 under Serial No. 613,139..

The chief object of my invention is to provide a fibrous reinforcedplastic container which is light in weight yet sturdy, and which mayhave non-tmliorrn sections of uniform density and composition. 7' It isa further object of my invention to provide a fibrous reinforced plasticcontainer which maybe reinforced or strengthened where necessary ordesired.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a fibrous reinforcedplastic container wherein organic and/or inorganic fibers are uniformlydispersed throughout its structure.v 1

It is a further object of my invention to provide a fibrousreinforcedplastic container having organic and inorganic fibers uniformlydispersed throughout its structure which will have optimum physicalproperties.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a fibrous reinforcedplastic container which is smooth and hard surfaced both inside and out,and tough against easy fracture and deformation. i It is a furtherobject of myinvention to provide a fibrous United StatS P t reinforcedplastic container suitable for shipping delicate and sensitiveelectronic equipment, such as radar equipment and the like. 7

Briefly stated, my invention comprises an integrally formed, hollow,molded plastic product, open at one end,

which may be used as a receptacle or may be assembled in pairs inreversely disposed relation with their open ends confronting to form aclosed container, said product being formed with side walls thickened attheir upper edges through a gradual taper and integrally joined attheirlower regions to a bottom along a juncture which is reinforcedor'thickened for rigidity and strength.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing description of the attached drawings, wherein: V

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container conveniently embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in elevation showing the container invertically stacked relationship with similar containers and with oneside wall partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view in cross section ofthe central portion of one side wall of the container.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view in elevation of two containersof the type shown in Fig. 1 abutting in side by side relation.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view in perspective showing one way ofconstructing the container from preforms. J

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing assembly of pretion taken asindicated by the angled arrows VII-VII Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional, fragmentary view in plan taken as indicatedby the angled arrows VIII-VIII in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 shows a modified type of preform for the container.

Fig. 10 shows a second modified type of preform for the container.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary, elevational view in cross sec-. tion showing aslightly modified container packed, as

sembled and ready for shipment.

Referring first to Figs. 1- -to 4, the container 1 as there tions 7 and3, the containers 1 are held against relative displacement when stacked,as shown in Fig. 2.

Each side wall 4 of the lower component 2' of the container 1 isintegrally joined to the bottom 6 through a rounded juncture 9 which isthickenedsomewhat for strength and reinforcement. Each side wall 4-isalso integrally joined to each of the next adjacent sidewalls 4' throughsimilarly rounded junctures 14-, which are also thickened for strengthand reinforcement. The upper portionof each such side wall 4 isthickened through a gradual taper 1t} and formed with perimetricrecesses or steps 11" and 12 for a purpose presently to be explained. 'lhetop edge of each such side wall 4 is formed with a lateral perimetriclip or flange 13. The bottom 6 of the component 2 is formed with aslight upwardly concavecl .or arched construction, as at 15, forstrength.

The side walls 4 of the upper component 2 of the con a standingprojections 7 for the indentations 8, the top 5 of the upper component 2is of the same construction as the bottom 6 of the component 2',although it is arched or concaved downwardly when assembled as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

Secured within the perimetric recess 11of the lower component 2 of thecontainer 1 by means of an appropriate adhesive, such as an epoxyresin'adhesive, is va quadrangular indexing band 16 which may be madeofmetal. The indexing band 16 is adapted for closeffit within theperimetric recess 11 of the upper component 2 to ensure proper alignmentof the component 2. with the lower component 2, and its inner surface orface is preferably flush with the inside surfaces of the containerwalls. While in theillustration shown, the indexing band 16 is describedas being a separately incorporated element,

forms of the type shown in Fig. 5 to =form the container.

it is within the scope of my invention to provide, in lieu thereof, anupwardly projecting perimetric flange integrally formed on the lowercomponent 2' or a downwardly projecting perimetric flange integrallyformed on the upper component 2. A sealing gasket 17, preferably ofeither rubber or neoprene,is inserted in the confronting recesses 12 ofthe components 2, 2 and secured to the half section 2,. by anappropriate adhesive, .snoh asan elastomeric adhesive. As shown, theindexing band 16 serves as a backing'for the gasket 17,

The perimetric lips 13 on the components 2, 2' are formed withindentations 18 into which are disposed or received the straps 19 of thespring clasps 3. By means of. the indentations 18,,the spring clasps 3of laterally abutting containers will be prevented from becoming tangled.and damaged, as will be readily understood from Fig. 4. The container 1is also provided with balelike lift handles 21 for convenience inhandling.

The container components 2, 2' hereinbeiore described are made inaccordance with the process set forth in my patentapplication Serial No.613,139, filed October 1, 1956, wherein preforms are first molded fromfluid fibrous suspensions and then assembled in a finishing press wherethey are molded under pressure at an elevated temperature and finishedby impregnating and heat setting a thermosetting resin throughout thepreform structures. The container components thus produced will besmooth and hard surfaced both inside and out, and tough against easyfracture and deformation. When the fluid fibrous suspension includes amixture of organic and inorganic fibers, such as cotton and glass, thefinished container components 2, 2' will be formed of fibrous reinforcedplastic which will be of uniform density and composition throughoutthecontainer structure. By varying the proportions of organic and inorganicfibers, optimum physical properties for the container components will beachieved.

Figs. 5 to 8 show one way of constructing the container 1 from preforms.In this embodiment, each container component is produced from separateside wall preforrns and either a separate top or bottom preform, as thecase may be. In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 there are shown four side wall preforms4a and a bottom preform 6a for constructing the container component 2'.The side wall preforms 4a have substantially the same configuration asthe side walls 4 of the container of Fig. 1, including a graduallythickened taper 10a, recesses 11a and 12a, lip 13a and lip identation18a. Each side wall preform 4a. has lateral or side edge margins 22a and23a and a bottom edge margin 2.4a, all of which are rounded and taperedofl in thickness. The side edge margin 23a of each side wall preform 4ais rounded somewhat less sharply and has a somewhat longer and thickertaper than the side edge margin 22a, thus producing a somewhatnon-symmetrical cross-sectional configuration, as shown in Fig. 8, for apurpose presently to be explained.

The bottom preform 6a has substantially the same configuration as thebottom 6 of the lower component 2 of the container 1, and is formed withcorner indentations 8a and an upwardly arched construction a. Theperipheral margin 25a of the bottom preform 6a is upwardly rounded andtapered oif in thickness, as shown in Fig. 7.

In assembling the preforms 4a and 6a, the four side wall preforms 4a arefirst assembled in upstanding contiguous relation, as shown in Figs. 6and 8, with the margin 23a of each preform 4a overlapping the contiguousmargin 22a of the adjacent-preform 4a. The bottom preform 6a is nextinserted downwardly within the four side wall preforms 4a so that itsupwardly rounded peripheral margin 25a-overlaps the bottom edges 24a ofeach of the side wall preforms 4a, as shown in Fig. 7. After thepreforms are thus assembled, they are molded under pressure at anelevated temperature and at the same time impregnated with athermosetting resin which is heat set throughout the preforms tointegrate them into a unitary structure along the regions of overlap; Byreason of the integrated overlaps between the lateral margins 22a and23a of the side wall preforms 4a, and between the bottom margins 24a ofthe side wall preforms 4a and the peripheral margin 25a of the bottompreform 6a, the thickened junctures 9 and 14 are formed in the component2. Because the preforms are integrated at the regions of overlap, thejunctures 9 and 14 will be homogeneous in compositionand uniform indensity.

The upper container component 2 may be prepared 4v from four separateside preforms 4a and a separate top preform in the same manner as thatjust described in respect of the bottom component 2. In such case, thetop preform will be similar configuration to the top 5 of the containerand will be formed with a peripheral margin which will be downwardlyrounded and tapered off in thickness in order to lapwith the uppercurved and tapered margins of the side 'wall preforms from which thesection 2 would be' constructed. I

. integrally joined. to theibottom; 6b through I a thickened juncture 9band is disposed to the bottom 6b at an angle of approximately 45". Suchpreform would be molded as a unitary structure from a fluid fibroussuspension in one molding operation. Each side wall 4b would be formedwith rounded and tapered olf lateral edge margins 22b and 23b, similarto the lateral edge margins 22a and 23a of the preform 4a of Fig; 8.When the preform of Fig. 9 is assembled in the finishing press, thelateral edge margin 23b of each side wall 4b will overlap the lateraledge margin 22b of the adjacent'side wall in the manner shown in Fig. 8;After assembly, the preform is molded general construction'andconfiguration as the container 1,

having its side walls 40 integrally joined together along y junctures14c and integrally joined with the bottom 60 along junctures 90. Sincethe preform of Fig. 10 is already an integrated structure, all thatisrequired in the finishing operation is to mold and impregnate thepreform with a thermosetting resin and then heat set the resin toproduce the finished article.

The container 1' of Fig. 11 is of the same general construction as thecontainer 1 of 'Fig. 1, but incorporates certain additional features.The container 1, for purposes of illustration, contains radar equipment30 and, at each end thereof, is provided with dunnage to cushion theequipment 30 and prevent injury to it incidental to rough handling. Thedunnage 31 may be composed of rubberized hair molded to conform to theupper and lower configurations of the equipment 30.

A humidity indicator 32 is incorporated in the con tainer 1 for thepurpose of, determining the presence of moisture in the container, whenassembled, packed and closed. The humidity indicator 32 includes acircular, transparent window 33, preferably made of Plexiglas or thelike, held in' place in the container wall by means of an internallythreaded collar 34 co-acting with a hollow, externally threaded .nut 35The indicator 32 further includes acircular piece of testing paper 36which is chemically treated, as with potassium chloride, and coated witha humectant, the paper 36 being held in contiguous relation to the glass33 by means of the nut 35. The presence of moisture in the container isindicated by a change of color of the paper 36.

The container 1' further includes an electrical outlet 40 covered by aremovable cap 41 and connected to the radar equipment 30 by means ofwires 42 and 43. Upon removal of the cap 4 1, testing equipment (notshown) may be plugged into the outlet 40 for the purpose of testing theradar equipment 30 when packed in the closed container 1'. .When thustested, a gauge or meter 44-, readable through a transparent window 4-5in the container wall, indicates the operativeness of the radarequipment 30. Like the window 33, the window 45 may be made of Plexiglasor the like and is secured in the container wall by a common adhesive.

The container 1' further includes a pressure valve 50 for equalizing thepressure inside and outside of the container when closed. The valve 50incorporates an in- I ternally threaded collar 51 secured in thecontainer wall into which is engaged a threaded cap screw 52. Pressureinside and outside of the container 1 will be equalized whenever the capscrew 52 is removed from the collar 51. If desired, the cap screw 52 maybe formed with an axial bore 53 which terminates into a transverse bore54 adjacent the head of the screw. With this latter arrangement, thescrew 52 may be withdrawn from the collar 51 only until the bore 54 isexposed to the atmosphere, at which time, by means of the bores 53- and54, pressure inside and outside of the container will be equalized.

While I have shown and described a container incorporating four sidewalls, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to thisspecific construction. It is within the scope of my invention to providecontainers having a single side wall, as in the case of a cylindricalcontainer, as well as containers having multiple side walls. It is alsoto be understood that the single container components, such as thosedesignated as 2 and 2', may themselves be useful as containers orreceptacles for many purposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A fibrous reinforced plastic container comprising two separatecomplemental hollow components each molded from preforrns composed of asubstantially uniform intermixture of discrete organic and inorganicfibers impregnated with a thermosetting resin, each com-' ponent havingan open end and a closed end and at least one side wall portionintegrally joined to the closed end, said components being assembledinvertedly one upon the other with their respective open ends inopposing relationship, an internal perimetric recess adjacent the open 6end of each component, an indexing band fixedly mounted in the recess ofone component and slidably received in the recess in the other componentwhen the two components are assembled, and releasable means for lockingthe two components in assembled relation.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the indexing band 'is set into therecesses of the components so as to be flush with the inner surfaces ofthe walls thereof.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein each component comprises at leastone side wall preform and a separate preform forming the closed end ofthe component, said closed end preform having a rounded and taperedmargin disposed about the perimeter thereof adapted to complement andlap a similar margin disposed along the bottom edge of each side wallpreform.

4. The container preform of claim 3 having a plurality of adjacent sidewall preforms, each side wall preform having a rounded and taperedmargin disposed along the opposite side edges thereof, each said marginadapted to lap a similar margin of a next adjacent side wall preform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,311,613 Slayter Feb. 16, 1943 2,436,726 Moyer Feb. 24, 1948 2,525,469Anderson Oct. 10, 1950 2,620,513 Cryor et al. Dec. 9, 1952 2,627,991Maersch Feb. 10, 1953 2,676,729 Neville, Jr., et a1 Apr. 27, 19542,709,524 Russell et a1 May 31, 1955 2,713,369 Strahm July 19, 19552,770,386 Mitchell et al. Nov. 13, 1956 2,803,368 Koch Aug. 20, 19572,859,109 Hawley et al. Nov. 4, 1958

